]]>http://www.openminds.tv/daily-ufo-headlines-122013/25504/feed0Robert Bigelow wants property rights on the Moonhttp://www.openminds.tv/robert-bigelow-wants-property-rights-moon-1204/24903
http://www.openminds.tv/robert-bigelow-wants-property-rights-moon-1204/24903#commentsWed, 13 Nov 2013 19:08:42 +0000http://www.openminds.tv/?p=24903Space pioneer Robert Bigelow believes that private companies, like his own space firm Bigelow Aerospace, should be able to own lunar property.

Bigelow Aerospace and NASA held a press conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday, November 12 to discuss Bigelow Aerospace’s completed and upcoming projects. NASA’s dwindling resources have forced the agency to rely on private space companies, like Bigelow Aerospace, to provide hardware and other resources in order to realize missions. Bigelow Aerospace secured contracts with NASA in 2013 to test an expandable habitat on the International Space Station and to develop plans for a base on the moon.

At the recent press conference in Washington, DC, Bigelow also discussed lunar mining and the need for property rights on the Moon. The question of whether a person or private company can legally own property on the Moon has been a longstanding issue of debate.

Robert Bigelow (left) and guest with a model of the Lunar base. (Credit: Bigelow Aerospace)

The 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, commonly referred to as the Outer Space Treaty, is predominantly the basis for laws governing space. Article II of the Outer Space Treaty states, “Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.” Some strictly interpret this provision to mean that, although governments may not claim property rights, private companies may indeed claim ownership. But Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty provides, “States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities, and for assuring that national activities are carried out in conformity with the provisions set forth in the present Treaty.”

Those who argue that the Outer Space Treaty does not regulate private behavior overlook the importance of Article VI. To this point, in his book The Development of Outer Space: Sovereignty and Property Rights in International Space Law, Thomas Gangale, executive director of aerospace think tank Ops-Alaska, cites Lawrence A. Cooper, an attorney specializing in space law: “Some have argued that [Outer Space Treaty]’s broad definitions allow individual appropriation of space and celestial bodies because it only specifically prohibits appropriation by States; however, States are responsible for the actions of individuals, and property claims must occur through the State’s property laws. Therefore individuals may not claim space or celestial bodies.” In essence, all parties in space are bound by the Outer Space Treaty. The treaty binds the governments, and the governments bind their citizens through laws and other means.

Robert Bigelow discussing lunar property rights. (Credit: CNBC)

Critics note that current space law is riddled with ambiguities, an issue that necessitates revisiting the Outer Space Treaty to modify and expand the framework for space law. Robert Bigelow believes “The time has come to get serious about lunar property rights.”

When asked by CNBC if he believes anyone should own the Moon, Bigelow responded, “No. No one anything should own the moon. But, yes, multiple entities, group, individual, yes. They should have opportunity to own the Moon.” Explaining his reasoning for wanting lunar property rights, Bigelow stated, “Ultimately, permanent lunar bases will have to be anchored to permanent commercial facilities . . . Without property rights there will be no justification for investment and the risk to life.”

Bigelow called for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow property rights for lunar mining. But National Geographic reports that, according to the FAA, “The agency only regulates launches and reentries of rockets from orbit, and doesn’t oversee activities of spacecraft.” But Bigelow Aerospace attorney Mike Gold believes that, because of the FAA’s oversight of launches, it is the right place to start asking for permission to mine the Moon.

Read more about the complexities and ambiguities existing in current space law in the April/May 2013 issue of Open Minds magazine.

In 2010 Skinwalker Ranch gained media attention after experiencing a wide range of unexplained phenomena. Reports ranged from UFO sightings to livestock mutilation, but maybe most notable was the disappearance of ranch owner Hoyt Miller’s eight year old son, Cody on November 11, 2010. Close to a year later, Modern Defense Enterprises (MDE) has sent a team of experts to document and investigate the mysterious occurrences, which only escalate upon their arrival…

Although this ranch sounds like a mysterious and trilling place developed by creative Hollywood writers, Skinwalker Ranch actually exists. The sci-fi website GiantFreakinRobot.com describes that the ranch “is an area near Ballard, Utah where many reports of cattle mutilation, UFOs, and other strange phenomena have been reported for years. It’s located next to the Ute Indian Reservation, and skin-walkers have long been the talk of Native American legend, so you can see how the connections are made.”

For those familiar with the real Skinwalker Ranch, the “Modern Defense Enterprises” team referenced in the movie’s description sounds like a reference to Robert Bigelow’s National Institute for Discovery Science (NIDSci), which reportedly bought the ranch in 1996 to investigate reports of varied paranormal activity.

Deep Studios, a Utah production company, is the team behind the Skinwalker Ranch movie. The film will reportedly be released in theaters and available on-demand just before Halloween on October 30.

]]>http://www.openminds.tv/daily-ufo-headlines-11713/18308/feed0NASA to test Bigelow Aerospace module on ISShttp://www.openminds.tv/nasa-to-test-bigelow-aerospace-module-on-iss-897/18238
http://www.openminds.tv/nasa-to-test-bigelow-aerospace-module-on-iss-897/18238#respondMon, 14 Jan 2013 18:33:31 +0000http://www.openminds.tv/?p=18238One of Bigelow Aerospace’s inflatable modules will be tested on the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA officials confirmed on Friday, January 11 that a $17.8 million deal has been signed with Bigelow Aerospace in which the Las Vegas-based private space company will deliver one of its Bigelow Expandable Activity Modules (BEAM) to the ISS, where it will attach to the station for testing. BEAM will be the company’s third orbital prototype, but it will be the first to be tested as part of a crewed spacecraft. NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver said in a statement, “This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in U.S. commercial space innovation.”

Discovery News explains, “The demonstration not only is expected to help Bigelow lease space to paying customers aboard its planned free-flying Earth-orbiting outposts. NASA also is interested in the technology for future deep space missions, such as to an asteroid, the moon, or Mars.” NASA has already tested inflatable habitats here on Earth in recent years with the same goal in mind: to utilize such technology for future missions to the Moon, Mars, or deeper into space.

Bigelow’s first two prototypes, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, are already orbiting Earth. These prototypes were launched into orbit in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

According to Space.com, “Bigelow is also eyeing a possible outpost on the moon, for which the company envisions using its BA-330 modules (so named because they offer 330 cubic meters of usable internal volume). Several BA-330 habitats, along with propulsion tanks and power units, would be joined together in space and then flown down to the lunar surface. Lunar dirt would be piled over the modules to protect against radiation, thermal extremes and micrometeorite strikes. Then clients—be they explorers, scientists or tourists—could move in and set up shop on the moon.”

Bigelow Aerospace HQ in North Las Vegas, Nevada. (Credit: Bigelow)

Robert Bigelow, Bigelow Aerospace’s founder and president, is a hotel tycoon on a mission to open hotels in space. But beyond that, Bigelow Aerospace wants to offer governments, companies, and individuals better space accommodations than can currently be provided by the ISS. The additional testing of the company’s inflatable habitats at the ISS will bring Bigelow closer to realizing his goal.

But as Jesse Ventura recently pointed out on his show Conspiracy Theory, there are those who believe Bigelow is involved in various secret projects, including plans to militarize space. Bigelow has collected UFO reports for years, and some believe he is hoping to harness alien technology to give him a competitive advantage in the new space race. And to illustrate Bigelow’s interest in extraterrestrials, the company’s logo, painted proudly on Bigelow Aerospace headquarters, is the head of an extraterrestrial.

Wired magazine interviewed Bigelow in 2007. The article explains:

Years before he started building space habitats, Bigelow began looking for the truths he was sure were out there. He says he has met with more than 230 people who claim to have witnessed ETs. In the 1990s, he gave millions of dollars to launch the National Institute for Discovery Science, whose staff — which included several PhDs and ex-FBI agents — researched alien abductions, out-of-body experiences, cattle mutilations, and other paranormal phenomena. In 1997, he donated $3.7million to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to create a Consciousness Studies program, which offered classes about near-death experiences and psychic phenomena. At one point, he even bought a 480-acre ranch in Utah that had been the scene of a number of alleged UFO sightings, animal disappearances, and other spooky weirdness. He wanted to own the land so he could monitor what went on there.

Possible secret motives aside, Space.com speculates that the BEAM module will likely be launched and delivered to the ISS by either SpaceX or Orbital Science Corp. Both companies have contracts with NASA to deliver cargo to the ISS. But the official details of the ISS/BEAM project will be announced Wednesday, January 16 at Bigelow’s headquarters in Las Vegas.